The Broncos are always so thrilled to be able to host our annual Denver Rescue Mission Holiday Party at the Crossing Facility. This year’s party held December 9 was no exception. It is an extremely moving experience for staff and players alike.

The following is shared from the perspective of Angie Nelson, a case manager at the Crossing.

Thank you so much to Greta, Devany, Mark Bodman, Lisette, The Crossing Management, STAR Youth Program, STAR Case Management AND EVERYONE ELSE INVOLVED for putting on such a fantastic party for our residents last night!

Last night, 182 residents of the STAR Program were given the VIP treatment at a Christmas Party held in their honor, with special guests from the Denver Broncos, including players and cheerleaders. This is my third year helping to work at this event, and it was the best one by far!

I left last night so encouraged about the work we are doing here. Children were running around, star-struck to see their favorite players in person. Residents were changing to come to the party in their best Broncos gear. Women who don’t usually change out of sweatpants and slippers while they are at The Crossing, came down with their hair fixed and their make-up done (I saw bright red lipstick and a huge grin on the mouth of one female resident who rarely ever smiles).

For some of our residents, there isn’t much to smile about this holiday season and there aren’t many people that they feel truly connected to in a positive way. But last night, residents were giggling in corners about their interactions with the players, taking pictures with each other (not just with the players), and we got to catch a glimpse of the “healthy community” that we are trying to foster for our residents here at The Crossing.

I don’t know how to word it best, but this party gave our residents an opportunity to feel special. . . to feel like there is a reason to dress up. . . to feel like they have a reason to take pride in themselves, and I am tearing up now even as I write this, remembering all of those happy faces last night, and how special I know some of them felt.

So thank you so so much, on behalf of the families and individuals we serve day-in and day-out, for the wonderful party last night.

- Angie Nelson, STAR Case Manager The Crossing

To see more photos from the event, click here.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 10th, 2008 at 3:10 pm and is filed under Community Development. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.